Overweight and obesity among schoolchildren in Sana'a City, Yemen

To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren in Sana'a City (Yemen) and to examine the association with lifestyle and some socioeconomic factors.

A cross-sectional study was done in public and private schools in Sana'a City during 2002-2003. We selected 1,253 students by the multistage random sampling technique. Weights and heights were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI = weight/height2). Data about age, sex, education level of the parents, food consumption and lifestyle was also collected.

The mean age of the children was 12.6 +/- 2 years. Overweight was 6.2% and obesity was 1.8%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher among private schoolchildren (p<000), females (p = 0.002), children with a sedentary lifestyle (p = 0.001) and children with a family history of obesity (p = 0.013). Also there is a positive association of overweight/obesity with the education level of the parents (p = 0.013 for the father and p = 0.19 for the mother) and consumption of unhealthy foods.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity is low and positively associated with the education level of the father, private schooling, sedentary lifestyle, and with students who took unhealthy meals.